Happy in Mexico

Everything here is great. I finished my first round of exams and papers last week, and it went pretty well all things considered. Yesterday night I watched the Mexico vs. U.S. soccer game, and unfortunately the U.S. won : ( Which means that I had to deal with a bit of harassment by some of my friends for being "American". (It was all in fun, no worries.) It was crazy, though, because it was such a huge deal. One of my friends went to his night class only to have 8 people show up and then have the class cancelled so they could go watch the game. Camino Real (the strip of restaurants and bars next to the university) was packed with traffic, and every bar was overflowing with people. Let me tell you, these people love their soccer. Which is why I was so surprised at how well everyone took the loss. Anyway...
I finally started teaching, and I really like it. The kids are sooo sweet. They are pretty well behaved for the most part, and the 6th graders already know quite a bit of English. Their teachers usually stay in the room while I'm there but turn the control over to me, and it's really nice having them there in case there is a big problem with student behavior. It's kind of wierd, because the teachers treat me like an equal. Which is nice, but a little wierd... sometimes I wish they would act more as mentors, giving me advice on what I could do better. Anyway, on Tuesday I'm there during their lunch/recess from 4-4:30 (school goes from 1:30 to 6!) and get to play with the kids for awhile. They are so adorable and happy. They all ask how to say their names in English, and when it's time for me to go, they all want to give me a kiss on the cheek. It was funny, because the other day when I was leaving, the entire class gathered around for their goodbye kiss. I was trying to keep track of who had already gone, because otherwise we'd be there all day. And apparently I wasn't paying very close attention, because after giving me his kiss goodbye, one little boy ran away happily screaming "I got two!!" It made me laugh. Anyway, I really do love being with the kids. I think I made the right decision, because when I'm there I feel a sort of peace and contentment, like I'm right where I need to be.